Senate Intervenes In ASUP Strike

President of Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, Dr Chibuzor Asomugha, Thurday stated that the Senate Committee on Education has waded into the current stand-off between it and the Federal Government in order to put bring the 67-day-old industrial action to an end.

Senate-412He said: “The Senate Committee has pledged to intervene with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and the Office of Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) with a view to sorting out issues surrounding the completion of the appointment of members of Governing Councils of six polytechnics and the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) imbroglio.”

Describing the parley between ASUP and the Senate Committee as fruitful, Asomugha said, “Definite assignments were given to different stakeholders with Tuesday next week as deadline for results.”

Present at the meeting were; members of Senate Committee on Education,  Minister of Education, Professor Ruqayyatu Rufa’i and Minister of Labour, Barr. Emeka Wogu. Others were the Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Dr. Mas’udu A. Kazaure, National Publicity Secretary, ASUP, Mr. Clement Chairman, Permanent Secretary (Education) and Director of Establishment (Head of Service).

“The potentially fruitful parley will reconvene on Tuesday next week to appraise progress from the different efforts,” the ASUP President said.

It would be recalled that ASUP embarked on a nationwide indefinite strike on 29th April over what they termed Federal Government’s insensitivity to their demands.